00.
Chassalia*[1]
Comm. ex Poir., Enc. Suppl. 2: 450. 1812, in obs.; Poir., Dict. Sci. Nat. 8: 198. 1817; Verdc., Kew Bull. 30: 270. 1985; Puff et al., Rubiaceae of Thailand: 100 & pl. 3.1.28. 2005.
* incorrect orthographic variants often seen in literature: Chasalia, Chasallia, or Chazalia
Shrubs or
treelets, sometimes totally unbranched. Leaves opposite, petiolate, very
variable in size and shape, membranous to chartaceous; stipules
interpetiolar, broadly triangular, slightly connate at base, often with 2
filiform tips. Inflorescence terminal, a many- to several-flowered
thyrse; inflorescence axes reddish, red or white, distinctly succulent and
swollen when in fruit [){kind=small}
-
fig. B-D]. Flowers 45-merous, hermaphrodite, possibly always
heterostylous. Calyx lobes small, triangular to linear. Corolla infundibular,
tube (slightly) curved, often hairy around the throat, lobes valvate in bud,
ascending to spreading in open flowers. Stamens inserted in upper part
of the corolla tube; anthers on short filaments, included (long-styled morph),
or filaments longer and anthers sometimes partially exserted from throat
(short-styled morph). Ovary 2-celled, each locule with a basally
attached solitary ovule; style with 2-lobed stigma always included. Fruit
crowned by persistent calyx lobes, an ovoid to globose black drupe with 2
one-seeded, plano-convex pyrenes.
Possibly up to 50 species, from tropical Africa and Madagascar to tropical Asia; 1 variable and widely distributed, continental SE. Asiatic species in Thailand. Classification: subfamily Rubioideae, tribe Psychotrieae.
Close to Psychotria but easily recognized in flower by the relatively large, curved corolla and in fruit by the shiny black drupes sitting on swollen red, pinkish or white inflorescence axes [unfortunately, the latter are often no longer clearly discernible as succulent in dried material!].
Chassalia curviflora (Wall.) Thw., Enum. Pl. Zeyl.: 150. 1859; Hook. f., Fl. Br. Ind. 3: 176. 1880; Pitard in Fl. Gιn. I.-C. 3(3): 365. 1924. Psychotria curviflora Wall. in Roxb., Fl. Ind. 2: 167. 1824.
Shrubs or slender
treelet to 3 m tall. Leaves membranous to chartaceous, very variable in shape
and size, (ob)ovate- or oblong- lanceolate, elliptic, linear-oblong to
-lanceolate, or linear, 8-30 x 1.5-8 cm, base cuneate to obtuse, apex acute to
caudate-acuminate, glabrous above and below or hairy along veins on the lower
surface only; 6 to >10 pairs of lateral veins; petioles 0.5-3.5 cm long;
stipules ovate, 1-3 x 1-2 mm, often connate at the base, apex bifid. Inflorescence
terminal, c. 3-6 cm long, congested to rather lax, many- to several-flowered;
bracts ovate to linear-lanceolate; inflorescence axes reddish, red, pinkish or
white, becoming distinctly succulent and swollen when in fruit. Flowers
(4-)5-merous, heterostylous, subsessile. Calyx lobes small, triangular, to c.
0.5 mm long. Corolla white or tinged pinkish or pale lilac (sometimes only at
the tip), often yellow around the throat; tube curved, 10-25 mm long, sparsely
hairy to glabrous at the throat; lobes 2-5 x 1-2.5 mm. Stamens with filaments
to 5 mm long in short-styled morph, only half as long in long-styled morph;
anthers c. 1.5-3 mm long, (partially) exserted in short-styled morph only.
Ovary ovoid, c. 3-5 mm high; style plus bifid stigma to c. 7 mm long, included
both in long- and short-styled morph. Drupe globose, 6-10 mm in diam., shiny
black when fully mature, crowned by persistent calyx lobes; pyrenes 2,
plano-convex, not ridged ventrally. [ -
var. ophioxyloides]
D i s t r i b u t i o n. From India and Sri Lanka E. to Indochina and S. China; S.E.-ward to Borneo and the Philippines (type Peninsular Malaysia).
N
o t e s. 1. A broad species concept is adopted for Chassalia curviflora;
the scarcely different Chassalia
chartacea and Chassalia
membranacea are
tentatively considered synomyms.
2. Very
variable, especially
in leaf characters (incl. texture) but also in the extent of the inflorescence,
color of the inflorescence axes and flower size and color.
The
subdivision into 3 varieties is highly artificial. Var. longifolia
refers to extremely long- and narrow-leaved forms occurring scatteredly
throughout the species range; not always clearly distinguishable because
populations may have individuals with leaves more closely resembling the other
varieties. Distinction of typical curviflora and the former C.
ophioxyloides as varieties on the basis of presence/absence of a leaf indumentums,
too, is not very satisfactory.
Key to varieties
|
1. Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, 10-30 x 1.5-3.5 cm, at least 6 times as long as wide, with more than 10 pairs of lateral veins |
|
|
1*. Leaves not as above, variable in size and shape, usually not longer than 4 times the width, with up to 8 pairs of lateral veins |
2 |
|
2. Leaves completely glabrous |
|
|
2*. Leaves hairy on the veins on the lower surface |
A. Var. curviflora. Psychotria lurida Blume, Bijdr.: 959. 1826. Chassalia lurida (Blume) Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind. 2: 282. 1857; Craib in Fl. Siam. En. 2(2): 204. 1934. Psychotria tetrandra Blume, Bijdr.: 961. 1826. Chassalia tetrandra (Blume) Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind. 2: 282. 1857.
Leaves variable in size and shape (but not long and narrow as in var. longifolia, below), hairy on the veins on the lower surface; always < 10 pairs of lateral veins.
T h a i l a n d. NORTH-EASTERN: Sakon Nakhon; EASTERN: Nakhon Ratchasima; SOUTH-EASTERN: Prachin Buri; PENINSULAR: Chumphon, Trang, Songkhla.
D i s t r i b u t i o n. From S. and SW. China and Vietnam S.-ward to Peninsular Malaysia (type: Penang), Sumatra and Java.
E c o l o g y. Evergreen forest. Altitude: 50300 m.
V e r n a c u l a r. ???.
N o t e. Much more uncommon than var. ophioxyloides (below); scatteredly distributed but more often seen in the Peninsula than elsewhere.
B. Var. ophioxyloides (Wall.) Deb & B.Krishna, Bull. Bot. Surv. India 24: 222. 1982, publ. 1983. Psychotria ophioxyloides Wall. in Roxb., Fl. Ind. 2: 168. 1824. Chassalia ophioxyloides (Wall.) Craib, Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 6: 474. 1930. Psychotria ambigua Wight & Arn., Prodr. Fl. Ind. Orient.: 433. 1834. Chassalia ambigua (Wight & Arn.) Alston, Handb. Fl. Ceylon 6 (Suppl.): 152. 1931. Chassalia chartacea Craib, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1931: 279. 1931. Chassalia membranacea Craib, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1931: 280. 1931.
Leaves variable in size and shape (but not long and narrow as in var. longifolia, below), always completely glabrous; always < 10 pairs of lateral veins.
T h a i l a n d. NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Lamphun; NORTH-EASTERN: Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom; EASTERN: Chaiyaphum; SOUTH-WESTERN: Phetchaburi, central: Saraburi; SOUTH-EASTERN: Prachin Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat; PENINSULAR: Ranong, Surat Thani (Yanyao, 50 m, type C. chartacea: KERR 181750, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Khao Luang, 1.100 m, type C. membranacea: KERR 15475), Trang, Satun, Pattani, Narathiwat.
D i s t r i b u t i o n. From India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar and Indochina; S.-ward to Borneo and the Philippines.
E c o l o g y. Primarily in evergreen forest types; occasionally in mixed forest or bamboo jungle, then often in damp to moist, shady locations or along streams. Altitude: 251100 m. Flowers and fruits almost throughout the year.
V e r n a c u l a r. ???.
N o t e. The most common variety of the species in Thailand.
C. Var. longifolia (Dalzell) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 3: 177. 1880. Psychotria longifolia Dalzell, Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 2: 133. 1850, nom. illeg. Chassalia longifolia (Dalzell) Wong, Tree Fl. Mal. 4: 344. 1989. Chassalia curviflora (Wall.) Thw. var. linearis King & Gamble, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 73: 134. 1904.
Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, 10-30 x 1.5-3.5 cm, apex (long-)acuminate, glabrous. Blades at least 6 times as long as wide, with more than 10 pairs of lateral veins.
T h a i l a n d. NORTHERN: Uttaradit; SOUTH-EASTERN: Chanthaburi; PENINSULAR: Narathiwat.
D i s t r i b u t i o n. N.E. India, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo.
E c o l o g y. Evergreen forest. Altitude: <100-600 m.
V e r n a c u l a r. ???.
N o t e. Scatteredly distributed and rather uncommon. Sometimes found in the same area as var. ophioxyloides but populations of the two varieties do not seem to mix.